150 Profiles: Ada Tsang

As we mark the 150th anniversary of confederation, The Philanthropist is profiling Canadians from across the non-profit sector and putting a face to 150 individuals who work or volunteer in Canada’s social sector.

Name: Ada Tsang

Current role in the sector: Co-Founder and Vice-President of Talent and Strategy at Endeavour Volunteer Consulting for Nonprofit; Project and Quality Manager at the Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto

Years working and/or volunteering in the non-profit sector: 15+ years

What was your first job in the non-profit sector?

My first job out of university with an Engineering Science degree was working as a management consultant at Deloitte. It was an incredible opportunity for someone straight out of school to gain exposure to all sorts of sectors and challenges. I worked on projects ranging from banking and insurance companies to government and healthcare organizations. I found myself gravitating towards the health and social sector projects and being motivated by challenges that improve people’s lives. I decided to enroll in the MHSc Health Administration Program at the University of Toronto to gain further skills in health policy, business, and management so that I can be better equipped to apply innovative solutions to complex health issues.

Describe your desk/workspace.

Right now, I am working at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee, snacks, my laptop, and a notebook. My desk at work has even more snacks and two computer monitors for double the productivity!

What are you reading or following that has expanded your understanding of the non-profit sector?

I follow the Twitter feed of many non-profit and healthcare authorities and am also subscribed to a lot of different mailing lists. I also read articles and reports from for-profit sources to broaden my thinking and apply ideas and innovations across sectors.

What matters to you or what are the questions you feel the sector needs to be thinking about?

I believe that there is a huge opportunity to better leverage data in the charitable sector. Using data effectively can bring significant benefits to a charity by 1. Delivering more responsive programming to the beneficiaries, 2. Better communicating its impact to potential funders, 3. Identifying opportunities for improvement and delivering more bang for the buck, and 4. Collaborating with sector partners to collectively achieve greater social impact. Data and impact measurement will also help policymakers, funders, and donors make better investment decisions to get the maximum value for their money.

Do you know someone we should profile as part of this series? Email us at philanthropistprofiles@gmail.com

Ada Tsang is Co-Founder and Vice-President of Talent and Strategy at Endeavour Volunteer Consulting for Nonprofit and Project and Quality Manager at the Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto.